


Insecurities

by Acaeria



Series: atla au [1]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, AtLA AU, Gen, Jealousy, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-06
Updated: 2016-10-06
Packaged: 2018-08-19 21:49:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8225830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acaeria/pseuds/Acaeria
Summary: “Do you want to talk about it?” Ford asked gently. Mabel shrugged.“It’s stupid,” she muttered. “Try me,” he offered.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So @pedoseidon on tumblr thought up this great atla au and I've been wanting to write something for a while! I was just suddenly hit with inspiration, and I'm planning on writing a bunch of short one-shot/drabble things. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> More about the AU: http://pedoseidon.tumblr.com/post/149290114342/gf-avatar-the-last-airbender-au

“Hello, Mabel,” Ford greeted, entering the room to find her sat on a mat, and worried for a moment that she’d been meditating, and he’d interrupted her. Then he realised that her eyes were open and downcast, and beside her was an abandoned pair of knitting needles and a ball of yarn. “Are you okay?”   
She startled, as if she hadn’t heard him the first time, and glanced up, blue-grey gaze troubled. “Oh, hey, Grunkle Ford,” she greeted, sounding tired. “I’m fine.” 

“You don’t  _ sound _ fine,” Ford pointed out awkwardly. She shrugged, glancing down again. With a soft sigh, he lowered himself to the ground, sitting cross-legged beside her. She sighed, and leaned against his arm. “Do you want to talk about it?” Ford asked gently. Mabel shrugged.

“It’s stupid,” she muttered. 

“Try me,” he offered. She paused.

“I don’t like being jealous,” she admitted, her voice stilted as she sounded out the syllables one at a time. 

“Jealous?” Ford asked. “Who of?”

“Dipper.”

“Dipper?” Ford asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“I know it sounds dumb,” Mabel said mournfully. “I just… it’s not fair that  _ he _ gets to be the Avatar! I’m the older twin!” She snorted. “I sound like a spoiled brat, don’t I?”

Ford’s heart (dusty and covered in cobwebs as it was) went out to her. “Maybe a little bit,” he agreed. “But it’s not dumb to feel jealous. It’s not dumb at all.”   
“I feel dumb,” she muttered. “I know it’s not easy being the Avatar. Dipper tells me all about it, and all the stuff he has to learn and do and all the responsibility… But I don’t know. I think he’s just downplaying it so I won’t get upset.”

“Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t,” Ford agreed. “You’ll never know. But it’s not stupid that you feel jealous, Mabel, it’s  _ natural _ . Heavens knows I was jealous of Stanley when we were growing up.” 

Mabel perked up at that. “You were?”   
“Of course I was!” Ford exclaimed. “Maybe Firebending wasn’t well-received back home, but it didn’t stop me from wishing I could do it. Or any other type of bending. I felt like Stan had gotten all the personality and power… and what did I get? Six fingers? It didn’t feel like an even trade-off.”

Mabel was gazing up at him with wide eyes. “Did you ever tell him that?” she asked. Ford shook his head.

“A couple of times. He always brushed it off. What… What about you? Did you ever tell Dipper?”   
“Yeah, but he always downplays it.” The two of them exchanged a knowing look. 

“I think we might be a little bit stupid,” Mabel said, her face cracking into a smile. Ford laughed.

“Maybe a little.”

“I’m gonna talk to Dipper about it when he gets back,” she said. “Are you gonna talk to Grunkle Stan about it?” 

“...Maybe…?”   
“ _ Grunkle Ford _ .”

“It’s complicated, Mabel,” Ford sighed. “Just do me a favour? Don’t end up like I did.” Mabel smiled comfortingly at him.

“I won’t,” she promised.

* * *

“Wow, kid, you’re a mess.” Stan whistled as Dipper came trudging up from the woods. “Them badger moles got you workin’ hard?”

Dipper grunted in response, walking past him. Stan reached out and grabbed his great-nephew’s arm, pulling him back. “Hey, where do ya think you’re going? You’re not going in there lookin’ like that, you’ll track mud everywhere!”

Dipper sighed. “Fine,” he mumbled, pulling his arm free. “I’ll go clean up.” He turned back to return into the woods. Stan sighed.

“Kid,” he called. Dipper paused and glanced back. “C’mere a sec.” Dipper sighed and walked back, standing in front of Stan with his arms crossed. “What happened?” Dipper frowned.

“What? Nothing happened. Nothing at all. Everything’s fine!”

“Kid,” Stan said pointedly, looking him up and down, and Dipper sighed, the tension in his body draining. 

“It really is nothing,” he sighed. “I was just thinking.”   
“Thinking? Oh no! Too much of that’ll make ya sick, you know,” Stan joked. Dipper didn’t smile. “What’s on your mind?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”   
“Try me.”

Dipper sighed. “Everything’s too much. There’s too much work, too much responsibility, too many things I’ve got to learn and do… How am I meant to do it all? I can’t. But I can’t give it up, either. I’m the  _ Avatar _ .” 

Stan sighed. “Look, kid, I’m gonna be frank with ya here: what you’ve got? It  _ sucks _ . Being the Avatar is a huge responsibility, and this is why they used to only tell ya once ya turned sixteen. Why they stopped I don’t know. But you’re only twelve, Dipper; you don’t have to deal with this by yourself, not at this age. Heck, ya don’t gotta deal with it by yourself ever if ya don’t wanna! You’ve got me and Ford and McGucket and all your friends down in the village… And you’ve got Mabel. She’ll always be there to help ya out. I swear, it’s unnatural for siblings to get along as well as you two do.”

“We’re not perfect, Grunkle Stan,” Dipper sighed. “Mabel gets upset when I talk to her about being the Avatar.”

“She does?” Stan was surprised.

“Yeah, I think she’s… jealous, or something? I don’t know why, though. I’d do anything just to be  _ normal _ for a day.” 

“Maybe you should talk to her about it,” Stan suggested. “If ya don’t know why, then find out! What’s the worst that could happen?” 

“I… are you sure?”

“Look, kid, if there’s something I’ve learned, it’s that your twin is gonna be the best friend you’ll ever have. And if you don’t talk to ‘em? Ya lose ‘em.” He smiled. “Don’t let her slip away from you.”   
Dipper nodded. “Okay.” He smiled. “Thanks, Grunkle Stan.” He turned to walk toward the house, and Stan grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him back. 

“Hey, what’d I say about going in the house?” Dipper groaned.

“Fine, fine, I’m going, I’m going…” He wandered back toward the woods and Stan watched him ago, his smile fading. 

“Look after her, kid,” he muttered to himself. “Or before ya know it, she’ll be gone.

* * *

Months later, with the world in disarray and their relationship in tatters, the twins wished they’d listened.


End file.
